Innovative. Difference-Maker. Creative. Stellar. Spectacular: All words used to describe Jen Adams throughout her illustrious playing career on the collegiate and international levels.

Those same adjectives hold true for her coaching and leadership styles as she enters her sixth season at the helm of the Loyola women's lacrosse program in 2014.

As a Head CoachSince coming to Loyola, Adams has directed a resurgence of the program back to national prominence. Inheriting a squad that posted a 6-10 record in 2008, Adams turned that into an 11-6 mark in 2009 and an 11-7 record in 2010, before tying a school record for wins in a season with a 17-3 tally in 2011. Entering 2014, Adams has a career record of 64-31 (.674), a mark that places her among the top-25 most active winningest coaches.

In five seasons, she has guided Loyola to two BIG EAST Championships (2011 and 2012) and three-consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, where the Greyhounds have won their first round of the tournament for a school-record three-straight years. In addition, she led Loyola to a 27-12 BIG EAST record and a 4-2 mark in BIG EAST Tournament action.

The 2013 season, Loyola's last as a member of the BIG EAST, provided many memorable games. Adams notched her first career shutout win when the Greyhounds beat Cincinnati, 19-0, marking Loyola's seventh shutout win in program history and first since 1998. Loyola followed that up with a double-overtime win over previously undefeated Notre Dame, marking the second-straight year that the Greyhounds were the first to spoil the Fighting Irish's perfect season. Adams also saw the program through its first-ever game at Marquette.

Although Loyola was unable to defend its BIG EAST title, the Greyhounds put together a strong enough season to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships where they faced High Point in the first round before being knocked out of the tournament by eventual-national champion North Carolina.

Adams saw five players earn All-BIG EAST and All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors, while two garnered All-America honors.

In 2012, Adams led Loyola to a 13-7 upset win over No. 2 Syracuse in the championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament, marking the highest-ranked opponent the Greyhounds have defeated since 2003. She also earned her 50th career victory with a 12-9 win over Connecticut in the regular-season finale.

A program-best and league-high seven Greyhounds earned All-BIG EAST honors after Loyola finished the regular season with a program-best 7-1 record in conference play. The Greyhounds also had six players included on the first-team, more than any other team in the conference, and produced the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and Defender of the Year.

Adams, the IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year for the second-straight year, placed four players on the all-region team and had two earn IWLCA first-team All-America honors, Loyola's first pair of first-team honorees since 2003.

In what many would have considered to be a rebuilding year for Loyola, Adams turned her freshman class into one of the most dynamic and explosive offensive units in the country. More than half of Loyola's goals were scored by a newcomer, with the class combining to become just the third group of first-year players to combine for 100 goals in program history, and the first to do so since 1984.

In addition, Annie Thomas broke the program's freshman record for assists and finished the year as the top-ranked freshman in the NCAA with 69 points.

Loyola's defensive unit was just as impressive, as then-senior Kellye Gallagher led the NCAA in caused turnovers and ground balls, goalkeeper Kerry Stoothoff was ranked third nationally in ground balls and classmate Ana Heneberry was tied for fourth in the nation in caused turnovers. As a unit, Loyola was the only program to cause more than 200 turnovers throughout the year and ranked second in ground balls.

During the 2011 season, Adams led the program to a No. 3 national ranking during the regular season and was named the BIG EAST Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Greyhounds to their first-ever BIG EAST Championship.

In addition, the Greyhounds advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2004 and the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2003, finishing the year with a school-record tying 17 victories in 20 games. Adams was named the IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for her successes.

In 2010, Adams led the Greyhounds to an 11-7 overall record and 5-3 mark in BIG EAST play. The squad led the NCAA in caused turnovers per game for the second-straight year, while also finishing the season ranked 21st nationally in scoring offense, 22nd in points, 24th in scoring defense, 24th in draw controls and 24th in scoring margin.

The season featured a six-game win streak that included a victory over No. 20 Rutgers, the first win at Ridley Athletic Complex by any Loyola program.

Adams' team in 2010 also produced the BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year and four players who were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.

In her first season as a head coach in 2009, Adams got the Greyhounds off to a great start, winning seven of their first eight games, and concluded the season at 11-6. The winning record was the first for Loyola since the 2004 season. The Greyhounds, who finished the year ranked 18th in the final national poll, led the nation with 13.47 caused turnovers per game. Additionally, Loyola collected 22.82 ground balls per game, ranking sixth in the country.

In addition, offensively, the Greyhounds averaged 13.82 goals per game, ranking 13th in the NCAA.

Before LoyolaPrior to coming to Loyola, Adams served as the associate head coach under Cathy Reese at the University of Maryland during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. She was also an assistant to Reese at the University of Denver from 2004-06.

At Maryland, Adams rejuvenated the Terrapins offense to play in her up-tempo attacking style. In her first season as associate head coach, Maryland scored 287 goals, the most it had recorded in a season since 2001, Adams' senior year.

In 2008, Adams helped Maryland ascend to a No. 2 rank nationally. The Terrapins finished with an 18-3 record and were ranked sixth in the NCAA in goals scored and second in total points.

Coaching InternationallyAdams took a break from the college game during the summer of 2012 and assisted her sister, Trish, at the Under-19 World Championships. The Adams duo led the U-19 Australian National Team to the silver medal at the tournament.

As a PlayerAdams is regarded as the finest female lacrosse player of all time. Putting together arguably the greatest collegiate women's lacrosse career in the sport's history, Adams led Maryland to four-straight national titles from 1998-2001, including a 21-0 record in 1999 and a 23-0 mark in 2001.

Adams put together arguably the best collegiate lacrosse career of any player in the collegiate ranks during her tenure at Maryland from 1998 -2001. She racked up honors like she scored goals and recorded assists and was named to the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse 25th Anniversary Team in April 2007.

The Brighton, South Australia native, was named the three-time national player of the year and was the first recipient of the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2001.

Adams set every scoring record for the Terrapins - season and career - helping them win national titles in each of the four seasons she spent in College Park. She finished her storied career with 267 goals, 178 assists and 445 total points. Her marks for total points stands today as an NCAA record, and her goals total is still a record at Maryland.

In addition to her career marks, Adams had single-season performances that also rank amongst the best in Maryland and NCAA history. During her Tewaaraton-winning senior season, Adams led the nation with 88 goals, 60 assists and 148 total points, setting school single-season marks in the process. Those season totals only added her name one rung higher, as she had set school records with 81 goals, 55 assists and 136 total points the previous season.

Adams' efforts were not limited just to the lacrosse field. In addition to her three All-America honors as a player, Adams earned the 2000 and 2001 Honda/Broderick Award for women's lacrosse excellence in the classroom and on the field. She also garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honors as a senior.

She was also named the National Attacker of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and earned Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year laurels in 2000 and 2001.

Playing InternationallyOn an international level, Adams has been a member of the Australian National Team since winning the U-19 World Championships in 1995. She went on to represent Australia at the senior level, including captaining them to a 14-7 defeat of the United States in the gold medal game of the 2005 World Cup. She scored four goals, and assisted on three others, in the gold medal game and earned All-World honors after leading all players with 26 assists and 47 total points.

Adams was also a member of the Australian National Team that took home the silver medal the 2009 Women's World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. Adams recorded a team-high 15 goals and led the tournament with 26 assists and 41 total points in the World Cup and recorded a goal and a pair of assists against the United States in the gold medal game. In 2013, Adams tore her ACL during training camp prior to the games, but still captained the Aussies to a silver medal in Oshawa, Canada.

In addition to her continued participation with the Australian National Team, Adams has been a highly sought clinician around the world and is the primary spokeswoman for STX Women's Lacrosse.

Adams graduated from Maryland in 2001 with a bachelor of arts degree in sports marketing